Vis Diving Spots

Stiniva

dive site type: naturedifficulty: mediumdepth range: 0-50 mdistance from the diving center: 5.5 nmshort characteristic: a wall with numerous cracks, in which various crustaceans and rare fishes, like moray eels, can be found

The southern coast of the Stari Grad Bay is harder to access that the northern coast and the peninsula of Kabal. Here the slopes are steeper and the peaks quickly reach 300 m above sea level. Nevertheless there are plenty of picturesque coves, being perfect as escape places for the tourists fed up with crowds. Just on the border of Stari Grad Bay and Hvar Channel there is a remarkable, deep, cove. With a length of about 700 m, it became a perfect place for tourists, who want to hide from the crowds visiting the island of Hvar. For those there are apartments available in the bay. No one but the divers disturbs the visitors relaxing in this idyll. Divers visit Stiniva Bay quite regularly due to the nearby wall, which belongs to the most interesting dive sites in this part of the Adriatic Sea.

This diving site is popular among the beginners, who can train in the cove, as well as the advanced and even technical divers, who can admire a steep wall. The wall is located on the eastern side of the bay. From the surface to the depth of about 20 m it is a steep slope covered by stones of different sizes – from gravels to large rocks. Here numerous octopuses are seen during every single dive. Besides, there are small scorpionfish and little crabs living in the shells after the snails. Besides, the rocks are covered by different sponges and moss animals (Bryozoa) and under the small stones various nocturnal animals, like brittle stars, some species of starfishes and juvenile sea urchins are hiding. At the depth of more or less 20 m the slope changes into a vertical wall, going down to 45-50 m. On the wall there are many organisms characteristic for this kind of habitat, like different crustaceans, moray eels and forkbeards.

Diving in this place can be organised as a drift dive directing to the Stiniva Bay or, if the waves are high, a dive from the boat anchored in the bay. Both options are similarly interesting – they finish in a calm bay and the significant part of a dive is being spent close to the wall. Being close to the wall, particularly at the depth of about 20 m, it is worth to move away from it for a while. Looking down the divers can notice a shape of the wall. There are few little capes and recesses and the shape from above resembles a giant hand with outspread fingers. Being deeper, it is also good not to focus on the details of the wall only. On the sandy bottom, at the depth of about 50 m, there are remains of fishing nets, hung in a characteristic way – they look like a volleyball pitch for giants.